Dear CRLS,

I am saddened because this is my last letter to you all as student body president. By the time you’re reading this, the next election cycle will have started, and you will know who is running for each position in next year’s Student Government (SGA).

In the next few months, Student Government is taking on several tasks. We will be presenting our finalized homework policy proposal to the Faculty Advisory Council and the School Committee; we will be revising and editing our current bylaws, which will be ready come election time; we will continue working on a proposal to address the current athletic academic eligibility policy; we hosted a “Planning for the Future” meeting for students considering joining SGA and outlining the goals of SGA for next year; we had our first student vs. staff dodgeball game; we informed students about our new subsidized ticket policy for senior prom; and, of course, we will host elections!

Though this year has been full of ups and downs for our organization, I am proud of all the work we have been doing in these last couple of months.

One of the biggest struggles Student Government faces is that even though we are working each week to try to improve life for CRLS students—both in the classroom and outside of school—we do not have efficient or reliable ways to communicate what we’re doing to the student body.

In the coming years, it is my hope that SGA will be able to email all students a bi-weekly update about what has been going on so that more students may get involved with SGA and so that SGA’s activity is more transparent.

I would like to leave you with this: CRLS is not a perfect school. It is crucial that we have student organizations which work to address inequity and promote events for all students. Students must continue pushing the administration on issues they are passionate about, because we are the ones who are experiencing the unfairness of policies made or approved by the school.

Even if you are not interested in joining Student Government, I implore you to get involved in a club or organization that helps you feel empowered. Student advocacy and involvement in the Cambridge community is and will continue to be one of the main reasons why CRLS is so special. Students are the reason that there is a newspaper to distribute each month, the reason that we have a dress code that does not punish female students, the reason that we have championship teams, the reason that there are school events for students. While a part of me wishes I could stay to help facilitate change at CRLS, I am confident that the students who are currently involved in Student Government and those of you who decide to join Student Government or other clubs and organizations next year will lead those organizations and our school in a positive direction.

I am excited to hear about what CRLS students are doing years after I graduate, and I hope that you find ways to improve CRLS that I never even thought were possible.Thank you CRLS.

Sincerely,

Sophie Harrington

This piece also appears in our May print edition.